Water Amongst the Leaves
by ShadowCrossNin
Summary: A stranger. A mission request. Team 10 knew the dangers. But when Ino disappears during the mission, where will she wind up? and will her choices lead her back to Konoha? Or stay in this new world? Naruto/Avatar X-over. T for violence/language.
1. Dissapearance amongst the Leaves

A/N: I don't own Naruto or any other Anime/movie, or anything that might have a slight character cameo.

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"Everyone…. Everyone is getting stronger…Except me….All I do is get in the way of my comrades. I've got to find a way to get stronger. I can't be the weakest one here! I'm Ino Fucking Yamanaka!" 

Her hands curled into fists as she pummeled the training dummy over and over again. Tears sparkled down her bright blue eyes as she punched harder and harder, determined to get stronger. "This isn't working! Why isn't it working?" One solitary leaf rained down from the tree behind her, as the others held on firmly. "That's me. The weak one. Everyone has been improving. Shikamaru-kun and Chouji both have an arsenal of jutsu's, and billboard head is being trained by Tsunade-sama! Why can't that be me? WHY?!??" Her knees hit the plush grass underneath her as the dummy stood firm, Ino's impacts doing nothing to damage it. "My Taijutsu is weak, My ninjutsu can only stall the enemy long enough. How can I win by going into someone's body? My genjutsu is average, but even then, I haven't mastered anything but the average genjutsu techniques!" Her eyes flushed more pearl and diamond shaped tears down her face, leaving a trace of sadness and anger on her face. "I've been so blind to everything. My fight with Sakura in the Chunnin exams was dismal…Even Asuma-sensei agreed… All my life I've spent my time trying to fit in...To get the attention of Sasuke, beat Sakura, and be the leader of my team.. But all I've done is hold everyone back. Shikamaru is a Chuunin and Chouji is one of the strongest shinobi I know, besides the fact that he eats too much… and there I go again! I'm on a 1000 calorie diet, and I'm hardly eating anything! I can't even remember the last time I've had a potato chip! It's just…." A crumble of leaves, and a whish in the air signaled the arrival of another, and as her head turned to acknowledge the person, she heard the lazy drawl of her team mate Shikamaru.

"Oy, Ino. We've got a new mission for today. It'll be a troublesome but It's a long term mission, so we'll be out for a week or two from what I've heard, but I don't know... Man, why can't we ever get a simple mission?" He slowly turned back around, not even aware of the fact that Ino had been crying earlier. "We'll be waiting at the gates in an hour, see ya then." And with a flick of his hand, he poofed off, _probably_ _to watch some clouds pass by_, Ino thought to herself. She slowly got up, brushing the dirt off her violet outfit. "_I wonder where we'll be going this time."_ She quickly tossed the idea out, knowing that anywhere would be better than here. She couldn't stand watching Sakura improve everyday, while she still got weaker. She ran to the flower shop to prepare for the mission, bursting through the front door a few minutes later. She pushed a few customers out of the way, some yelling, and a few grunting and pushing her back, but she didn't mind in the least. She was leaving Konoha for a mission, and would'nt have to be stuck in this rut for a while.

Her room was a deep white color, with yellow pastel on the ceiling, giving it a feel of a flower from the inside, and as she packed a few scrolls, kunai, and other weapons, she heard her Dad make her way into the room. "Honey, Shikaku told me you, Shikamaru, and Chouji are going out for a while on a mission. I made you a pack with two weeks worth of supplies, and a little extra food. I know you get hungry on your missions." He smiled at Ino, as a twinge of guilt shot into her body. The food was hardly going to her, it was more to feed Chouji who said he would tell her father she was dieting, and the only way to shut him up was to give him the food. Shikamaru could care less. "It's your body, not mine." Was all that ever came out of him. And she just scoffed and turned around, munching on a pack of crackers she bought at the market. It was like this almost everytime. "Thank you Dad… Well, I better get going then…" The awkward silence reverberated on the walls and she found her way to the door. Her hand grasped the cold metal door knob, and was about to open, when her dad suddenly sat on her bed, and looked up at her. "Ino.. I know what you're going through. I can see that you're feeling weak. I was watching you today in the training field.." Ino's eyes grew wide, She didn't see anyone or sense anyone's chakra… All that she saw was a bird a few feet away… Then it hit her. Her dad had used their signature jutsu on her. It was so obvious. "Please Ino, all I ask is do not be rash. Our clan was never the type to charge into battle, neither were the Nara's for that matter, We'd leave that to the Akimichi of the group." A wry smile protruded for his lips. Ino knew that the pep talk had ended there, her dad never had the way of words like her mother did. She slowly finished packing a few kunai as her dad watched her with weary eyes. He got up and left the room, only to return minutes later, a box in his hands. "Ino, I want you to have this. It was something your grandfather passed to me. I was hoping to give it to my first born son, but you've made me prouder than any son I could have given birth too. " He gave her the box, and as she opened, a small glittering necklace with the Yamanaka clan symbol appeared on it. She gave a wry smile. The necklace was beautiful, and it matched her eyes, as the symbol was a sparking ice blue color. Her father gave her a solemn wink, and then escorted her outside, silently towards the lumbering gates.

The walk towards Konoha's gate felt more like a death walk as her dad walked with her the whole way, solemnly, making no attempt to say another word to her. Each step weighed down on her harder and harder, crunching over dried leaves, and splashing into the water, as the gate neared, beckoning her towards it, as if calling away from Konoha. In front of the gate sat Shikamaru, Chouji, Asuma, and more surprising Shikaku and Choumaru both with their sons as well. As she approached, Asuma's face drew a grim look as if preparing farewell speech. "Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, I assume you have packed for a long trip?" Hai's rang through the air, and Ino eyed her captain suspiciously. '_Whats going on?_' she thought to herself. Shikamaru looked even more puzzled as Asuma requested that the children leave while he talks to their fathers. The talk lasted for a good 10 minutes as Shikamaru fell asleep under a tree and Chouji started on his 6th bag of chips. "Chouji! You know those go straight to your thighs!" She let out a long sigh, her team mate never stopped eating, and always had something stuffed in his mouth. He was easily provoked and almost always predictable. "Ino, maybe you should stop worrying about how much I eat, which is a part of how I train, and more about your own training." She looked more surprised than anything at Chouji's statement. It wasn't his expected whiny comment back, and it left Ino speechless. Chouji glared at Ino as she clamored up, she didn't want to get into another yelling fit with Chouji, not if she was going to have to see him for a while anyway. The silence grew tenser as Asuma continued his talk with the adults, drawing the occasional gasp or shout of protest that ended merely in silence that melded with theirs, drifting over their heads.

_I wish I knew what this mission was about. Why is he being so secretive about? What's going to happen?_

Ino's thoughts scattered through her mind as Asuma walked up towards team 10, a slightly exhausted look, but ready none the less. "I just finished the briefings with your fathers on this mission," Chouji's mouth stopped chomping and Shikamaru lifted an eyelid, " It seems they were in a deal of protest for us to have been assigned this mission, but we must complete it. Now if you're all ready, I'll repeat the mission specks, and we'll go over our strategizing from there." Ino nodded and the others followed suit. The prospect of hearing what all the fuss was about drew the curiosity out of all three, coaxing away any laziness or hunger in the team. "We've been assigned an over sea's mission." Ino gaped, Chouji let out a groan, and the faint whispers of troublesome rose into the air. "Now now, it's not that bad. We've been assigned to deliver a secret scroll to one of the villages. It seems a warrior from that village stumbled his way to our town, and is paying a hefty fee to deliver this while he recovers in the hospital. This mission will pay well, and we getta leave behind all this sadness that's been floating around Konoha." Ino looked towards Asuma, the sadness he must have faced when Sarutobi died must have been overwhelming. And then there was Sakura who lost both of her team mates, even though all three are now trained by the three legendary Sannin. _As expected of Sakura. She's beating me again…_ "Now the scroll is top secret information, but it seems we're taking it to a tribe near the winter poles. I'm sure I didn't need to warn you to pack warm or bring extra money and supplies." Asuma looked at the group and nodded. "The trip there will be a 4 day trek to the docks, followed by a 7 day boat ride, 2 more days to reach the town, and then back to Konoha, not counting the time we use to take rests in-between towns and villages. Does everyone understand the base of the mission so far?" Shikamaru let out a groan almost as loud as Chouji's but nodded. Chouji looked over to Shikamaru and nodded his head after his friend, Ino though quickly asked her question. "Why did Konoha pick us? Especially delivering it to a place of unknown origin?" The confusion on her face was obvious, and Shikamaru let out a laugh as if he already knew the answer. "Ino, that's a good point. But from ANBU'S investigation record, the man is not lying to us. And as the rule of shinobi, we must take on any mission given to us in the name of our village and by the approval of the Hokage. Gai's team has also received a mission like ours, and if if I'm correct, so has Kurenai's. Because of the incident with Sasuke and Naruto leaving with Jiraiya, team Kakashi will not be joining the missions, and Sakura will stay behind with Tsunade-sama." Ino looked shocked at the information presented to her. She knew that Sakura would have joined this mission in a heartbeat, but to know that she stayed behind for special training infuriated her! All her life she and Sakura had competed, over Sasuke, over ninjutsu, and everything else, yet she was the one that always lost. '_but this time, I know I can do this! I'll prove them all wrong!'_ Ino looked toward her team in envy, Chouji had proved his worth in the mission to retrieve Sasuke, even though the mission failed, he had defeated a very powerful Konoha enemy. And Shikamaru? He passed the Chunnin Exam over all of the entrants, including Neji and Gaara! Asuma was a highly trained shinobi, and one of the strongest in Konoha, directly related to past Third Hokage! She knew that each of them had something that she didn't. Strength.

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"Asuma-Sensei?" The team had been traveling for 3 days, and was nearing the docks, yet something didn't feel right when they got there. No boat, no village, and no dock. "Where is everything? All I see is the beachfron---" She was suddenly hushed by Shikamaru and Asuma-sensei. The three men of the team glanced around the forest they were still in, and then looked towards the beach. Nothing. The waves beckoned out to the open sea, calling forth, but no dock, and no boat. "Asuma-sensei! What's going on?" Ino couldn't help but be frightened. The docks coordinates were given by a strange man no one had ever met before. She knew it was a bad idea to go from the start. "Ino please keep your voice down. We may have fallen into a trap." Asuma shushed her again and gave a signal to Shikamaru. He nodded his head, clasped his hands together, and in a low voice murmured, "Shadow Bind Jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow bended and waved, using the shadows of the trees around him to make it's way through the area. Ino caught on to his plan and looked at Chouji, and as if in synchronism, Chouji activated his Partial Size Jutsu: Hand, and extended it after the Shadow, and firmly grabbed the shinobi hiding in the brush. "Chouji! To your left!" Asuma threw a kunai that landed right between the eyes of a shinobi who was swarming in with the rest of an ambush squad. "Ino, run! Get back to Konoha! We'll follow as fast as we can! I know it'll be troublesome, but take the scroll with you, it cant get into the enemies hands" Shikamaru grunted his words out, as he caught three more nin in his shadow and ran them off towards Chouji who unleashed another swipe from his enlarged hands, knocking all three into a few of the attacking nin. Shikamaru then threw the scroll towards Ino who caught it, and then went back to shadow trapping more enemies. Asuma grabbed his trench knives and started slashing the air around him until the blades on his knives grew larger and larger, then rushed the enemy, arms raised, as his voice bellowed, "Rising Swallow!" Sending his body into a spin that rushed a smaller group of nin about to ambush Ino. "Ino, get out of here! Your jutsu is no use in close combat! Listen to Shikamaru!" Ino looked at her sensei in fear and disappointment and nodded her head, she knew herself that all she would become was a nuisances that needed protection. She bolted towards the beach, where none of the Nin seemed to have gone towards, and ran for her life. Kunai's flew past her head and disappeared into the beach's now foggy banks as she got closer. "AHHHH! Wait why is this fog here? Asuma! Shikamaru?" Ino suddenly started spinning, spinning faster than she ever had in her life, and disappeared in plain sight of her comrades.

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A/N: 1st chapters are always the worse, but trust me, in the next chapter you'll see what happens to Ino. I'm doing a story on her because I hate the way that her character stays weak, and this is how I wish things could be. 

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. First Enounters and Awkard Silence

A/N: I do not own Naruto or Avatar the last Airbender.

The world spun at her feet as everything and every surrounding object disappeared, the fog mixing into the air and in a mysterious way, into her body. If she hadn't known better it seemed as if the fog was alive, alive and beckoning her somewhere. The silky wind blew against her skin as the spinning ceased, and all at once, the fog did so as well, leaving only the beach again. The waves parted up and down, crashing on her feet, her hair blowing in the wind, and her mind spinning, she looked to her left to see Shikamaru running towards her. It seemed she was falling. Back arched gracefully, and arms held down to her side, it was like a ballerina's decent into madness. Her eyes unfocused as Shikamaru got closer, His hair seeming shorter, and his clothes off colored. "Shikamaru-kun…Blue isn't a very good color on you…" It was then her mind and body gave out, collapsing into his hands, warm, comfortable, and different.

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Shikamaru couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, Ino, his long time friend and team mate, had disappeared in an array of smoke, right before his very eyes. Chouji and Asuma both appeared at his side, and all three ran towards the spot where Ino once was. Remnants of the fog Ino spoke about was visible, but all at once disappeared once they reached their destination. Her hairband had fallen off, but besides this, nothing remained of the once proud female Kunoichi. "Asuma-sensei…." Chouji's voice reverberated throughout the empty beach, filled only with the setting pain of three strong men. "Asuma-sensei….We have to find her." Chouji's voice broke into a spludder, but recovered once more, and looked at Asuma with big eyes.

"Chouji, our mission was to deliver a scroll to a foreign city. We were fooled, ambushed, and now the man who sent us on the mission is a possible threat to the village. We have no messenger bird to send a report. We must all head back to Konoha, report in, and we can only hope Tsunade-sama can send a team of Black Ops to search for Ino…" Shikamaru expected this much from his sensei. He knew it would be pointless to argue over staying to find Ino, yet, even through all the troublesome moments, Ino was his comrade. A shinobi of the Leaf…He could not abandon a comrade. And he could not abandon a friend. "Asuma-sensei, I think Chouji might have a point. Ino isn't strong enough to protect herself wherever she may be. We have to find her…Tch, she's our friend.." Chouji smiled and agreed with Shikamaru's words, and they both approached Asuma.

"I repeat…Our only mission was to deliver the scroll. The scroll is now in Ino's possession somewhere else. We have no information where she may be, and for all we know, ambush reinforcements may come back with stronger shinobi. Our objective now is to head back to Konoha and report in. Do I make myself clear?" His words were swift and decisive, breaking the reverie of both Shikamaru and Chouji. Shikamaru swore under his breath and turned away. He knew it was pointless. He tried, but anyway he looked at it, there was no changing Asuma's mind. There was---

A punch echoed in the air, and Asuma was sent tumbling into the sand, as Chouji's activated Partial Size Jutsu de-activated. "How dare you. She was our teammate! Your STUDENT! She may have called me fat…But she is one of the few people who understands me. She is one of my important people. I will not let you abandon her!" Chouji's shouts echoed, and Asuma raised himself off the g round, brushing off the dust from his jacket. "Chouji…I'm sorry." Asuma's words felt real this time, and it seemed like what he said, was what he meant. "If I could, I would have us scour the Earth itself…But our orders cannot be compromised. We as shinobi, are trained to have no feeling, and if a comrade disappears in battle, we assume the worst… As far we know, Ino is now presumed MIA. We must report this, to have Tsunade-sama send a team out immediately. And when she does, we will be the first to go out. I promise you that." Chouji brimmed with appreciation for his sensei agreed, and all three headed back to Konoha, Asuma's words sent chills down Shikamaru's spine, he knew that Asuma was one for the rules, and when he said something this drastic, he meant it. Maybe he might just let him win a game of Shougi…

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"We've got to do something about her…" came a male voice nearby Ino. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, and she felt somewhere mixed between a dream and reality. Another voice chirped in, a female voice, "What are you recommending? We leave her here?" The girl had a tone of sarcasm in her voice, but Ino could hear a deep bond between the two voices. "No, I mean, we should take her with us. It's not safe around here. She'll be safer if we care for her." Another female voice butted in, this time a younger one. " Well, I bet you're only saying that because you like her. If it were some old man, you'd probably say we couldn't trust him. What's not to say we cant trust her?" Ino felt a surge of dislike towards the girl but pushed it away. '_It's only natural to be hesitant. Every shinobi knows that.'_ Ino decided she had better wake up, knowing that the longer she feigned sleep, the easier it would be to tell. "By the way, I can feel the girl's heartbeat, and she's awake." Ino's eyes flew open, and the three kids eyes centered in on her. The one she had mistaken for Shikamaru was now seen in clear view, and the differences were everywhere, besides the pineapple shaped hair. The girl next to him was wearing almost identical clothes, with a sparking blue necklace that reminded her of her own, and she quickly grasped hers, making sure it was still there. The final girl sent a gasp through her body. "You're a Hyuuga?" Ino looked the young girl up and down, she was wearing a green attire, and her eyes were a milky color, almost the same as Hinata's and Neji's. "Hyuyuyu-awhat? My name is Toph. I'm an earthbender." She said it matter of factly as if Ino knew what in the name an earthbender was. Before she could dwell on it, the other two introduced themselves, First the girl, who smiled and extended her hand. Ino grasped it and the girl introduced herself. "I'm Katara. A waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe." She beamed at herself, and Ino let out another utter of confusion before the boy introduced himself with a blush, and an open hand. Ino shook his as well, while he said, "Heya! My name's Sopha! Wait… I mean Sokka… I got confused… Not that I forget my name or anything, just that I was a little nervous….Not saying that you make me nervous of course! Why would I be nervous around you? WAIT! I don't mean it like that! What I meant was---" Ino let out a small laugh, and the two girls known as Katara and Toph joined in. "Hi, I'm Ino Yamanaka, shinobi of the Hidden Village of Konoha." Everyone stopped to look at her in confusion, each head turning towards her again. It was Sokka who spoke again, trying to redeem himself from his earlier mistake. "Oh yeah that place! Man, I remember when me and Aang went there. Crazy place! Lots of trees and leaves!" He blushed, and the two girls sent out a rambunctious laugh, getting a glare from Sokka. "So you've been there?! Are you related to Shikamaru? You guy's look a lot alike!" Ino's feelings went from surprised and confused to anxious. If the boy actually knew where Konoha was they could head back together! They could… Ino was suddenly aware of her surrounds. She was no longer on the beach, but on a furry white blanket, and somewhere behind Sokka, she saw clouds rolling by, and a distant figure approaching…Flying?

Sokka, Katara, and Toph all looked towards Ino's gaze, and got up to wave. "Aang!" "Hey she's awake!" "Any luck finding food?" The shouts rang out as Ino's mind went through a fuzz. She remembered being on a beach…An ambush…She reached in her pack and found the scroll still safely wound up. Maybe when she gets settled in with these people, she could find a way to bring up the topic of where she was…By the looks of the Sokka boy, he was trying to impress her about knowing Konoha. And what in The Hokage's name was an earth and water bender? And if those were there, then there was probably an air and fire one as well…Was she even at home? Her thoughts swam in her brain before a hand painted with a blue arrow reached in front of her. "HI! I'm Aang! An Airbender!" Sokka stepped in front of him, and with a look of dignity also added his imput. "He's a good friend of mine, and he's the avatar!" If Ino could look anymore confused, she wasn't able to tell. '_avatar? Element benders? Where am I?'_ Her thoughts were interrupted again as Aang brought his hand back out. "Hello?" Ino looked up out of her own reverie. She yanked his arm and shook vigourously, knocking the boy around, as his eyes grew white, and his face green. "I'm Ino Yamanaka!" If she had to be around these people that saved her, whoever they were, she would need to make friends. All five sat on the white fluffy cushion, staring each other as the seconds crawled by. "So…Ino was it?" Katara's voice rose, along with the tone of suspicion. "What were you doing in Fire Nation beaches?" Ino gave her a confused look, and decided she had to do something. Say something. "Sorry to be blunt and all, but to be honest, I have no freaking clue what any of this is. Element Benders? Avatars? Flying white cushions?" She sat down with a huff as all eyes stared at her sudden short outburst. Katara sat down again, and decided to make a move as well, signaling to her friends, and the real conversation began.

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"So you're saying, An elemental bender can only bend one element, except the avatar," she pointed to Aang, "You, can control all four. The fire nation is a nation that declared war on the others. They wiped out the entire Air bender tribe, besides Aang, and tried to destroy both the Water and Earth. The avatar,you, sent in an invasion force, lost, found me on a reconnaissance mission, and we're now heading back to inform the other people in your group of my identity, and how I can help you guys, and how you can help me?" Ino gasped for breath, because of her constant talking, she barely got the whole paragraph out of her mouth. "In a nutshell yeah!" Katara stated simply with a smile. In the few short hours they had spent flying, all five spent their time telling the other mysterious one(s) their story, and who they were. Toph, Katara, Sokka, and Aang are all part of a resistance to fight against the Fire nation. She was a hidden leaf Shinobi who was teleported hear by an unknown jutsu, and is a primary illusion and bloodline jutsu caster. She also noted her own Chakra system, was very similar to description of their Chi reserves. "This is so confusing…" Ino let out a sigh, and the other 4 laughed, and soon enough Ino joined in as well. '_At least I'm not alone right now..'_ Ino smiled and continued her own story. What a long day this was going to be.

A/N: Well theres the 2nd chapter, R and R, and tell me what you think! I know the story is choppy now, but the intense parts will be soon, hopefully either next chapter, or the one after that. Who do you think Ino should pair with if anyone?

Aang? Sokka? Zuko?! Review me your opinions!


	3. Spring Awakening

A/N: It's been so long since I last updated. I'm sorry guys. I kind of lost my groove with all this stuff, Just turned 18, pressure at work, and still finishing up school. Life's getting a little hectic, but this chapter is awesome! I had so much fun jumping back in and writing it. It may be a little short, but I think it's pretty good. And if you guys read my other story, Infected Leaves, be prepared for an update their soon. And be prepared for a twist there, a twist here, and two great battle scenes, one here, and one in my other story!!

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"So where are we headed anyway?" Ino lounged against the white fur of some animal; she knew that if she were to be a member in this group, for now, she had to make herself comfortable. She still couldn't believe how the day had transpired so fast, into something so different. First she was having an awkward conversation with her dad, next thing you know she was on a long mission, and then suddenly she was in some strange world full of people who could bend elements without forming hand seals. Yet, the group she sided herself with seemed like a good choice. She knew of course not to let her defenses down, as her hand was already ready to reach towards her kunai.

"Well, the thing is….We had a few other friends with us, but somehow, the fire nation caught up with us. They…They told us to run, even though they wanted to help, wanted to stop the fire nation, we had to leave them….now they're probably locked up with the rest of our invasion force…" Katara's eyes brimmed with tears as Ino felt a twinge of sadness. "There is one person waiting for us though…someone I don't trust one bit…" She looked away from Aang as he gave her a lopsided grin. 'They seem to really care for each other…' Ino thought to herself as she watched Aang wrestle a hug out of Katara. But who is this mystery person? If these people have a hard time trusting him…Would I?' Ino let the thought slip from her head. This whole experience left her so tired. So very tired… Her eyelids started drooping, and her mind gazed off, until she sent herself off into a peaceful slumber…

* * *

"Ino…" She looked towards the sound. "A pineapple?" She squinted her eyes, to see none other than Shikamaru standing before her. "You were knocked out for a while…We weren't sure if you were dead or something." He smirked as Asuma approached the two team members. "Ino, you're becoming a liability to the team. You almost got me and Shikamaru killed. As for Chouji? He wasn't so lucky.." Ino gasped as the word's escaped Asuma's lips. She darted her eyes around noticing that Aang, Sokka, and everyone else was gone, a dream perhaps? She looked again to see what Asuma pointed at, only to bear witness to one of the most horrific sights she had ever seen. Chouji's dead form lay upon the wreckage of the beach, missing limbs scattering the sand, as Shikamaru and Asuma laughed.

"Why the hell are you laughing? You're sick! What's wrong with you two?" Ino shrieked her words, tears once again sparkling down her blue eyes. "You're pathetic." Ino looked up to see the face of Sakura Haruno, holding the head of her team mate Chouji. Ino let out a shriek of terror and pain, as her rival best friend spoke to her. "You're weak. Everyone has grown stronger, while you lag behind. You caused your comrade to die. It's all your fault." Sakura held the head up high, and before Ino let out another raspy scream, Chouji began a bodiless tirade. "You see Ino? You did this to me! Why couldn't I have been lucky and gotten someone better on this team? Sakura could have kept me alive..." Ino's head started shaking, as more words slurred out of nowhere. Soon all of Konoha was watching her. Each eye of students, teachers, and civilians gazed upon the weak flower girl. She cried more and more, eyes balling, as her dad suddenly walked up to her. "The others were lucky…They had a son…" Ino felt her heart hit the bottom of her stomach. 'Is that what dad really thinks of me…' She thought to herself solemnly. The town of Konoha began to disappear in a blaze of smoke in an instant, as the citizens screamed for Ino. "Protect us….Save us…." The Rookie 9 along with Team Gai started darting around saving citizens while Ino stood in spot watching how everyone, including Chouji's head, and his headless body, ran around the town, saving people. Saving lives, while all she could do was endanger them. The smoke soon turned to flames, as they licked around her, and around her friends, engulfing them one by one.

* * *

The flames felt hotter against her as they soon engulfed around her, edging her out of a dream, and into a harsh reality, where fire was zooming through the air. Ino looked in a start to see the white cushion had landed, charging at these mechanical machines, launching fireballs out at the sky, aiming for figures scattered around Ino. The cushion charged at the machines, knocking them over, as Ino hid behind a rock watching the battle take place. A rock flew in her direction, a humungous boulder following, and she grew wide eyed as the young girl was hurling rocks out of the ground, gigantic boulders, being aimed at the machines and a large line of soldiers. "Ino! Look out!"

Sokka came charging in with a beautifully crafted sword, and parried the attack of a man who aimed for Ino. "You've got to find somewhere safe to hide!" Sokka sent a slashing motion, and the soldier collapsed, blood spurting from a chest wound. "But Sokka, I can help!" Ino pleaded her words, hoping to find someway to join in on the battle, some way to help the team of new found friends. "Ino, please, I don't want you to…GUAHH!" Sokka let out a high pitched scream as a man with an eye in the middle of his forehead shot a blast towards the two of them. "Ino, Run!!" Sokka turned and bolted, believing that Ino was behind him, not thinking to look back and see that she stood her ground, two kunai in hand. The man charged first, running at a breakneck speed, and thrusting his head forward as another shot blasted out. Sokka turned his head to see the man's position, only to see Ino in a mid back flip, barely evading the blast, landing on the side of the rocky cliff beside her. Ino pushed off the wall and flung two kunai at the man, who parried them with another shot that blasted from the eye. "Dammit, Shikamaru…where are your crazy plans when we need them…" Another groan escaped her lips, as she barely avoided the next attack, reaching into her pouch, tying two explosive notes around two different kunai, she sent the hurdling towards the mysterious foe, who easily avoided them, both landed a few inches away from his feet. "Ok, this is it!" The man, startled, looked towards his feet a second to late as the notes went off, engulfing the three current battlers in smoke. "Ino! Ino!" She heard the faint sound of her name being yelled, and she spun herself around trying to catch balance. The smoke cloud was thick, and she felt a heavy clunk land beside her, then a rush of wind was blown, and all was clear. In front of her stood Aang who used his fan to make a clearing through the smoke. Ino looked over Aang's shoulder to see Katara and Toph finishing off the other warriors. She was enthralled specifically by Katara's technique. Her eyes grew wide at the techniques used by Katara, ranging from water whips, to ice spears, she threw all that she had out into the battlefield. She snapped herself out of the trance as the smoke finally cleared away completely.

Ino looked around through the wreckage from the explosive notes, only to see that the thump she heard was not that of the man, but that of a boulder he must have tried to fling at her. Some how the man had to have gotten away. Another failure thanks to Ino-fucking-Yamanaka. She lowered her head in shame as she watched the others take care of business. Sokka had joined Aang attacking the soldiers, as Katara and Toph took the other side. All 4 using their respective strength to defeat mass amounts of enemies, each battling with gusto. Ino put her hands over her face as tears leaked down once again. "Great, Katara can control water, and I can't even control my tears…Why does this always happen? Why am I the person that causes other people to risk their lives for me? Why Can't I help?!" Ino screamed at her lack of abilities as the others swarmed over the attack that had once been a massive army. On the horizon she saw Katara wielding the Ocean as her weapon, sending waves crashing into the escaping boats of the Fire Nation soldiers. Aang whipped up massive amounts of Wind and sent them hurdling towards the warriors, along with the boulders that Toph rained down from the sky. Sokka stood in front of Ino a few ways away, as if protecting her. 'Great..' Ino thought to herself. 'Now everyone thinks I'm weak. It's going to be the same story where ever I go! I'm always putting people into danger!' Ino's tears leaked down her face once more, staining her clothes with searing drops of suffering. She closed her eyes and wrapped herself into a ball, slowly, but surely, crying herself into another pathetic slump. "Always…worthless…"

* * *

Ino's eyes shot open once again, snapping her out of a short lived pity sleep, as Sokka called her name, trying to rouse her out of sleep. "Hey, Ino! The battle's over! You can come out of hiding!" Sokka put on a rouge grin, then caught his words, slapping himself over, and reshouted, " Wait! I didn't mean hide, you didn't hide! You just couldn't do anything to help…I mean, not saying that you're not strong…It's just you didn't do anything that could've stopped him…and I'm shutting up now…" Sokka caught the glare from Ino, and slowly backed away, retreating to the comfort zone of Aang and Toph.

Ino noticed that Katara was headed her way, a beautiful smile on her face, and a steaming bowl of some delicious smelling food. "Ino, sorry about Sokka, he can be a bit over zealous with his words, but he means no harm. Oh! I made some soup from the supplies we yanked off some of the warriors. It's probably nothing like the food you might be used to, but I think It's pretty good!" Katara smiled again, and handed the piping hot bowl over to the Yamanaka. 'Well…I haven't eaten in a few hours. I know I'ts totally going over my diet, I don't want to be disrespectful..' Ino thought the idea in her head, and solemnly thanked Katara, accepted the bowl, and took a sip of the most amazing tasting soup she had ever had. The broth was crisp and fresh, obviously purified through Katara's technique, and the vegetables and meat had a defined taste that she had been starving herself of for months. With a ring of happiness that surged through her body, Ino momentarily forgot about the abysmal failure, and moved to sit near the group, a smile on her face. "Katara, this is the best damn soup I've ever tasted!" Ino gave the girl a wry smile, and she shot one back, while Sokka, eager for a chance to make up for his horrible attempt at flirting, shot a horrible joke at Ino. "So How many Fire Nation people does it take to screw in a lightbulb huh?!" Toph, Katara, and Aang gave Ino a look of pity, then delved into their own forced conversation, leaving Ino to deal with Sokka. "Oh geez, I don't know. 1?" She knew it was coming. Some lame punch line, but she smiled and acted enthralled. Besides, even if his jokes weren't funny, it was the way he modestly tried to pick up on her with subtle hints that made Ino laugh. "1,400,111! 200,000 to find the light bulb, another 200,000 to fight over the light bulb, a million or so civilians to serve as human shields for the previous 400,000, 10 to actually screw in the light bulb, 100 to protect those ten, and one fire lord to oversee it all!! Eh eh! That was pretty good huh?!" He grinned at Ino with a cocky smile, as she threw in some false pity giggles at the bad joke, but laughed at the idea of a boy actually trying to impress her with a joke. She studied Sokka's face and it brought her back to Shikamaru. 'Their faces are so alike…So pineapple shaped, so defined, and so….beautiful.' She was snapped out of her stares when Toph 'accidently' shot a few pebbles at Sokka from behind, sending him into a frenzy over fire army ants sneaking into his pants. The four others laughed, and for once Ino was enjoying herself. But in the back of her mind, all she could think about was how the hell was she getting home?


End file.
